This is a delicious and extremely economical dish. 800g shin of beef, more than enough enough for 4 people was less than £5.00 (Feb. 2009). The slow-cooking breaks down the normally tough fibres in the meat and creates a wonderful gravy

Method

Using a large heavy Dutch oven, put the butter, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the onions, celery and carrots in the pan and sauté over medium heat until the vegetables have wilted, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and lemon peel and sauté until they're fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Add the sliced tomatoes and remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a skillet until it is near the smoking point. Lightly coat the steaks with cornmeal and slip them into the oil. Brown on all sides and place them in the Dutch oven on top of the vegetables.

Place the wine in the skillet and boil until reduced by one-half, deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown residue. Pour this over the casserole.

Heat the vegetable stock to a boil in the skillet, whisking in the tomato puree and anchovies. Add this to the casserole, along with the herbs, several grindings of pepper, and a large pinch of salt. The liquid should cover about ¾ of the meat steaks. If not, add extra water.

Bring the pot to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven. Cook for approximately 2 hours - checking halfway through that it has not dried out too much and correct by adding more stock.

If you are 'using up' odd vegetables such as broccoli florets etc, stir them when the casserole has 30 minutes left to cook.